Two Steps Forward
by tinaa78
Summary: When Sakura decides that she's through with Naruto asking her out, she decides to take matters into her own hands and find him somebody else to swoon over. Naru/Hina
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is a Hinata/Naruto story. This is also my first fic. Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. Also, this first short chapter is in Sakura's point of view. The entire story won't be that way and will mainly center around Naruto and Hinata. :P There is cursing- not too much, but the Naruto in this story is the kind of guy who vents his frustration with words. Some of which are not always nice. 3 After all, there is a reason this is rated T.

EDIT: Uhm, I didn't really spell check this before sending it in. I'm rereading this, and I'm a little embarassed. I promise to run it through in the morning. I also appologize for the shortness of this chapter- it's kind of a prologue though. The second chapter is not only spell-checked, but over double the length. Sorry bout that, folks.

Disclaimer; Not mine, never was.

--:oo:--

Haruno Sakura had nearly lost her mind.

She had changed a lot in the last few years. Looking back on Team 7's earliest days always brought a smile to her face, but she was not proud of the kuniochi she had been back then. She had been a burden to her teamates. Naruto and Sasuke were always stronger, faster, smarter in those days. Everything they did had been to protect her and keep her from getting them into trouble. It was ironic how much of a failure she made Naruto out to be when he saved her ass more times then she could count.

But that had all changed. Sakura fiddled with her short hair as she remembered the time during the chunnin exams when she had cut it, claiming that she would change, she would get stronger- she would not be a burden. And, to her credit, she did improve a lot. Those days something was missing though, something that prevented her from getting stronger.

A teacher; a mentor.

Kakashi didn't count. He favored Sasuke. That was clear as day. He taught her the basics. Her chakra control was amazing. She had always been good at that; better than anybody else on the team, possibly better than any of the rookie 9 back in those days.

It wasn't until Sasuke left that she fully realized how useless she was. She wasn't strong enough to go after him. Naruto did, making her the promise of a lifetime, and he returned defeated. She was so much weaker than Naruto, and she knew it, yet not even he could save Sasuke. After Naruto returned, everything passed so quickly before he left again. Left with Jiraiya-sensei, in hopes to grow strong enough to one day keep his promise.

When Naruto was gone, she trained with Kakashi sensei. Not much though, he was a top jonin who was needed on high class missions. Mostly she just ran C and some B class missions with Team 10, with Shikamaru leading the team instead of Asuma. It had felt good to fight alongside Ino, but it was discouraging. Even though, realistically, she was probably just as good as Ino as far as fighting capacity, it seemed to her that Ino improved every day and Sakura couldn't match that. The pink-haired blossom trained constantly, but it never seemed good enough.

Then, by some lucky hand of fate, Sakura met Tsunade and was taken on as her apprentace.

No more did she feel like she was training for nothing, and the Slug-Sannin taught her more than any sensei she had had. Not just about medical jutsu or fighting prowess either, but about life and being a good person. Tsunade probably didn't notice that she was teaching those kinds of lessons but she did. Tsunade, although she may be angry towards Jiraiya and brash towards anybody who dares to disturb her rest, had an amazing bedside manner, and was kind to those she treated.

When Naruto returned, her first feeling was relief that he was back safe. Tsunade-sensei was a tough teacher, and from what she knew of Jiraiya, her senseis former teamate did not take it easy on Naruto.

When she saw him though, a breath hitched in her throat. She had screamed his name and he had rushed over to greet her. She had allowed her eyes to glance him up and down. His body had matured. He looked _good. _

And he was happy to see her. It was obvious he still cared about her in a way that was more than teamates, or friends, should. Maybe she should give him a chance. She had thought about it during the 3 years he was gone and she still deeply cared for Sasuke but she did not have the animosity towards the blonde ninja that she used to.

It wasn't until he performed his super sexy-no-jutsu or whatever the damned thing was called for Konoharmaru that she realized that the feelings she had for naruto could never be more than brotherly. She had this realization as she punched him across the face, sending him flying.

--:oo:--

It had been two years since Naruto had returned, and a year since they had all returned, Naruto, herself, Sai, Kakashi... and Sasuke. And in those two years Sakura had explained that he had no chance with her romantically no less than 80 times.

"Naruto-baka, listen- I really don't want to go on a date with you." She pleaded. She didn't want to have to punch him, they were in the middle of konoha. Tsunade was starting to get angry at all the buildings sakura had broken by throwing Naruto around when she got angry. "It'd be like dating my brother. That's disgusting. I'm not into incest."

"What she's trying to say is that your penis is to small for her." Sai was walking with them, being extrodinarily unhelpful.

"Don't you talk about my damn penis you damn cross-dressing dick-head! I'll have you know that it's not small in the least and that I could pleasure Sak--

WHAM.

Two bodys went flying. Sai recovered midflight and landed on a building not to far away. She hadn't hit him that hard. He gave Sakura a smile, said 'good-bye ugly' and left. Naruto however, might have to go to the hospital for that one. Or probably not. His unique gift had a habit of healing him unnaturally fast.

She knew tsunade would be highly upset at her, and would probably laugh when she heard the reasoning. Her cheeks turned pink. Not that she'd ever repeat what Uzumaki had been about to say. After looking around the street, she noticed quite a few villagers glancing at Uzumaki worriedly, wondering what it was he had done this time. Then she noticed a small Hyuuga, sticking her head out of the weapons shop, staring at Naruto, pushing her fingers together nervously. Sakura's eyes gleamed with delight as the beginnings of a plan formed in her mind.

This was ridiculous after all. She couldn't have naruto chasing after her, after all.

She would have to find Naruto a girlfriend.

One who would care about him for real.

And who better than the Hyuuga who was already infatuated with the blonde?

Oh this would be easy. "Hinata-san!! Ohayo!" She called out, a devious smile on her lips.

--:oo:--

AN: Please review :P This is my first story and I don't know if I'm doing this all right.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for the positive feedback so far.. It's great. Keep it coming, along with any (helpful, preferably) criticism you may have. I also neglected to mention the time setting.. This is about two years after the time skip, about a year after they retrieved Sasuke. I guess I forgot to put it in because at first I was a little confused about wether I wanted him back or not, but even though I decided I did before I posted this, I guess I just forgot to edit that in. I added a little bit about that in the first chapter, nothing major. :P Now, who needs this? Let's get on with the story!

As far as how long it takes me between chapters; right now it shouldn't take more than a week however I don't have a computer right now and I am doing this at the library in my limited spare time. However, I'm getting a new computer soon. I hope.

--:oo:--

"Oh, Sakura-San."

The young Hyuuga's voice was respectful as she reluctantly tore her gaze away from the Uzumaki. Hinata had also changed greatly since her genin days; her appearance had matured, and her body had filled out, not unlike all of the other woman her age, but it wasn't just that. Even though her skill as a ninja had improved tremendously, her greatest change was no-doubt her personality. Although still soft-spoken, Hinata was no longer the timid young girl she used to be. It was about a year ago, shortly after Sasuke's return to Konoha that her father came on to the realization that the Uchiha would most likely want to eventually start rebuilding his clan. The elder Hyuuga had a long talk with the would-be heir, and the clan council decided Hanabi would be the one who would succeed the Hyuuga clan.

Her father wasn't a cruel man, like many seemed to think, he just had what he considered an un-biased view on what was best for the clan. Hanabi showed more potential then he believed Hinata did, and she, as far as Hiashi was concerned, had a better choice in men, an important quality for a heir. Hinata's younger obsession towards the Uzumaki had always made Hiashi uncomfortable, and her refusal to date any of the men she suggested worried him. He knew he had worked Hinata to hard, but after the death of his daughter's mother, he was determined that the Hyuuga heir be as powerful as his late wife had been. He was a bitter old man and he knew it, so when Hinata came to him after Hanabi had been made heir and asked to move out, he knew he had no right to refuse her. The council, obsessed with Hanabi and her upbringing, couldn't have cared less but insisted she get an apartment not to far away. Hiashi obliged, and Hinata took a job assisting Iruka at the academy on days when she wasn't going on missions or training,

Sakura looked over at the former heir and laughed as she saw the other girls eyes dart to glance at Naruto, who was now dusting himself off and walking away. "He was being rude... and perverted" She shrugged, watching with delight as the younger girls cheeks turned an impossible shade of pink.

As much as she had grown assertive; blushes were common when it came to the Uzumaki. On the somewhat un-common occurrence that they did talk, she didn't usually stumble with her words as much as she used to. Like many of the girls she knew; her school-girls crush had disappeared. However, in Hinata's case, it was replaced with something a little stronger, a little more lasting. She wasn't saying she was in love, because the Hyuuga knew that was ridiculous. To be in love with a boy she rarely talked too? No, it was something else, had to be. Admiration. _Strong _admiration. The girl glanced at Naruto, and that simple look caused her breath to hitch in her throat. _Very strong _admiration.

Sakura nearly laughed, seeing all the girls shy looks at the boy. She managed to restrain herself, however. "I can't blame him though, with both Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-San, the boy never had a chance for a moral upbringing."

Hinata knew a joke when she heard one, and gave a small laugh. "Ano.. I suppose you're right Sakura-San. I have to deal with Kiba, remember? I've never hit him, but he doesn't get too bad, at least not around Shino or me.. He knows better, I think."

Sakura laughed back. She could only imagine. Shino was creepy enough with his bugs, but he was a gentleman. Kiba must have a hard head to say something raunchy to Hinata with Shino on there team. The kunoichi doubted Naruto would be that dense. "Anyways, this is all beside the point. You still like the baka don't you?"

"Kiba? Sakura-San what are you talkin-- Oh. Naruto-kun. Uhmmm.." Her cheeks reddened again as she realized what the older girl was talking about. Hinata took a step forward as she realized they were blocking the door to the store, unintentionally stepping into the ally. Sakura looked pleased, moving somewhere more quiet and took a few steps to join her. "I think.. I think that he's a very nice young man.. A good friend.."

The pink-haired girl had to bite her cheeks to keep from laughing. The girl was obviously thought he was more than nice, but laughing really wouldn't help improve her situation. Still, she couldn't keep herself from poking fun at Hinata. "Aww, come on. There's got to be more to it than that; Surely you've noticed how nice his body look.. He's surely has some nice _assets_ that even you could appreciate." Again, Sakura had a hard time not busting out in laughter as that last line gave Hinata the double meaning she knew that it would.

"A-ano, Sakura... Uhm..." The girl fidgeted, trying to fight the blush that was across her face. She could feel how red her face felt, and she knew that she probably looked ridiculous. Sakura had often teased her about Naruto before, while the two hadn't become best friends, they had grown closer through the years. Sakura knew a lot about the incidents involving her family. Possibly more than her team; she wasn't the sharing type, but it had been easy for her to open up to Sakura whenever she had been upset. Granted, she didn't go to Sakura with every problem she had, but over the years Sakura had proven to be able to provide the kind of "girl-talk" that every kunoichi undoubtably needs. "You know that it's more than that."

Sakura frowned as she began to remember when she had previously asked the Hyuuga about her affections toward Naruto. It had been a long time ago, but Hinata had said that his nindo was that he never gave up or went back on his way. You could count on him. Naruto protected his friends and kept his promises. Sakura knew that first hand; he promised her he'd bring back sasuke, and even when he nearly died trying to keep that promise, he hadn't thrown in the towel, even when Sakura told him that she'd understand if he gave up. And he did keep his promise, didn't he? Sasuke was back, broody as ever and seemingly forgiven by a majority of Konoha. Hinata had told her that Naruto was a proud failure, and that his inability to give up was what made him special. The Hyuuga had told her that being able to do something was one thing, but getting it right on the first try was one thing, and another thing when you trained and had to try and try and fail and fail until eventually, you got it right and you succeeded.

That was another thing entirely.

Sakura smiled and Hinata answered the only question on her mind. "Yes, Sakura.. I, uhh.. still do feel that way." She felt relieved, as always, talking to Sakura. She gave the older girl a small smile in return to the broad one Sakura was giving her.

"Alright, fine.. You want to go get something to eat? I'm starved. I had ramen for lunch, Naruto treated after training" She cocked her head to the side as she saw the Hyuuga frown. "He treated all of us though.. It's kind of rare when the five of us can get together. We're always all so busy with missions and such." She was talking about the original three, plus Kakashi and Sai. It was strange, but Sai fit into their group perfectly. Even though he claimed he didn't have emotions, it was obvious he did. He had come a long way from the emotionless jerk she had originally known-- know he was just an emotionally confused jerk. She smiled at that though. "And unlike him, I cannot survive on ramen alone."

Hinata nodded her head and they both began walked down the street, looking for any cafes along the way. Sakura just hoped none of either of their teammates would interrupt. She had some more prying that she wished to accomplish.

--:oo:--

Naruto Uzumaki loved his life and everything about it.

For the most part, at least.

There was always the Kyuubi, which is something he used to loathe about himself. Now, however, not-so-much. He had begun to accept that the demon was a part of him, much like Sasuke's mangekyou sharingan. It was something to be feared, without a doubt, and in Sasuke's case, using that power caused him to go blind. The Kyuubi was the same way. It was evil, but it provided him with immense power. Naruto's Kyuubi was a bit more dangerous to him than Sasuke' sharingan was, however. If misused, the Kyuubi could cause much worse than blindness. Every time he accessed the demon's power, he risked going crazy, he risked losing the control that he didn't even have. If that happened, the consequences would be dire. Knowing the risks, however was step one. He knew that he couldn't not use the chakra of the demon; he was aware that if he was ever to realize his dream and become Hokage there would undoubtably be numerous circumstances where he would have to draw on that chakra, in spite of the risks, to protect Konoha. While he tolerated knowing all of this, that didn't mean he liked it.

There were other things in life he disliked as well; such as the scorn of the villagers. However, in their credit, they _had_ begun to accept him. Ever since he had retrieved Sasuke, it seemed like the villagers had been forced to acknowledge that the Uzumaki was a definite help to the community. There were some extremists, who, after looking at the young man and his wild blonde hair, went as far as to say that instead of being the Kyuubi, he was the reincarnation of the fourth Hokage. Naruto knew not of these rumors, and they were incredibly ludicrous, but never-the-less, he had earned some of the villagers respect. Even those who did not respect him no longer had the burning hatred they used to harbor, and now had a toleration of the prankster.

However, right now, none of those things seemed to matter. What was important, however, was the fact that Haruno Sakura kept turning him down. It was frustrating, to say the least. He cared about her immensely. While he knew she wasn't the only one, as his prisoner was no longer a secret among the former genin, she had been the first girl to hear about how he was the demons jailor. And she had accepted him. That acceptance, combined with his previous childhood crush, had convinced him that he was in love with her.

But try as he might, it was clear as day that she did not reciprocate these feelings.

And that frustrated him to no end.

Because, if you looked at it one way, Naruto Uzumaki was one of the most spoiled brats in all of Konoha.

He was used to getting what he wanted, accomplishing any goal he strived for if he merely tried hard enough. The thing was, even though he had been 'accepted' by the villagers, and his friends all cared deeply for him, it wasn't enough for the tousled-haired prankster.

He wanted somebody to love him.

And he knew Sakura did, but not in the way he wanted. Not romantically. She had made it painfully obvious they were friends. And as happy as he was having Sakura-chan as a friend, because she was very good at being friends, it hurt him that she didn't want more. It was like he wasn't good enough. He knew that that wasn't the case, that she just couldn't change how she felt, but it was a boyish challenge to try.

In truth, he did not want to be alone.

And, so he doesn't seem completely self-centered, he didn't want her to be alone either. She seemed so lonely. And she was his best friend, at least next to Sasuke-teme. He knew that it was her choice to not have male companionship.. She was offered many times. Not just by him, either. Lee too was persistent, though he didn't berate her as often as Naruto did. She had been hit on many times, rather obnoxiously, while on missions in other villages, yet she'd usually intimidate them. Sometimes, she wasn't allowed to do that, as her blowing a guy into the wall might compromise the mission, so she'd learned to turn people down without violence. Mostly.

She told him that she did not want any men in her life.. Not when she was still gallivanting around, going on dangerous missions. She didn't want to have somebody at home waiting for her while there was the chance that she might not come home alive. At least, that's what she told him. He figured that was her way of letting people down easy. Maybe she was still holding out for Sasuke-teme? He used to be pretty sure that was the case, but now he was confused. Naruto had overheard her telling Ino that Sasuke had approached her once, explaining that he wanted to start up his clan, and that he'd like to talk to her over dinner, but she told him no. He had never brought it up again, most likely embarrassed.

But back to Naruto. He wanted to be loved. Loved in the romantic sense, and he didn't get why him and Sakura wouldn't work. He understood, basically, but he didn't grasp how he could try so many times and fail. He was very lonely, in that sense. He wanted somebody to care about him, like the way Tsunade admitted she did for Jiraiya when she was very drunk and gambling with him. Or the way Kurenei felt for Asuma. He'd settle for the way Anko loved any poor sob who was brave enough to go home with her.

He was a teenage boy, after all. There were things in life he very, very, very much desired on a romantic level. Even so, thinking about doing those things with Sakura felt very, very weird, considering how many times the team has been forced to share a tent on a mission. But even more than being a teenage boy, he was also a man, and a human being. Besides the sexual aspect to a relationship, he deeply desired the tenderness and care that he saw so often on the streets. He wanted somebody to protect, who would protect him. Somebody who would share his one bedroom apartment with, so he wouldn't feel so pathetic coming home to an empty house.

And why not Sakura? She was his teammate. They had helped each other many times. She had tended to his wounds many times, even when it was not necessary, due to the Kyuubi. They were teammates. Being more with her felt weird, but he wanted to be loved desperately, and even though deep down he chased after Sakura because he thought he had the best chance with her, he was still fixated on the girl.

With all that Sakura-chasing, it was no surprise that he had never thought about another girl.

Especially Hinata Hyuuga.


End file.
